Hotels are targeting the millennial market
Catering to the younger, tech-savvy generations
Hotels, they are a-changin’, as hoteliers develop properties that cater to the younger, tech-savvy generations.
New and older brands are making moves to do away with the beige, interact via apps, double as co-working and social spaces, and score shareable selfie love along the way.
But don’t call them “millennial hotels.” While many of the perks and amenities are inspired by research on the group, the properties included below — Hyatt Centric, Radisson RED, Hotel EMC2 and Residence Inn by Marriott — aim to appeal to guests of all ages.
Scott Greenberg, president and chief executive of Smashotels, a hospitality management company near Chicago — and also the owner and founder of Hotel EMC2, a smart, new Chicago hotel with an art-and-science theme in Marriott’s Autograph Collection — says he knows that if he develops a hotel that his three millennial-aged children will love, older generations will follow.
“If we attract young people, old people will show up. But if you build a hotel for old people, young people never show up,” Greenberg says.
Rose Anderson, vice-president of global branding and innovation with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which owns Radisson Red, says she is less interested in resonating with a particular generation and more with a mentality.
“It’s not so much about the age; it’s more about the behaviours that have been kind of pegged to the millennials: very social, online, connected. We are very much targeting a millennial mindset versus a generational audience,” Anderson says.
Even long-standing brands such as Residence Inn are putting research into uncovering what millennials want.
“You don’t want to be alienating some of your customers in order to appeal to some of your other customers,” says Diane Mayer, vice president and global brand manager of Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Protea and Marriott Executive Apartments. “So, if you can find things that maybe are millennial-driven but that have universal appeal, that’s the Holy Grail.”
While amenities such as free WiFi and stellar bar programs are practically a given now in hotels looking to woo younger audiences, here are some other trends to look for on your next getaway (millennial-driven or not).